Understand how Ad Hoc research can and should be a part of your work, day by day.Research is historically divided between quantitative and qualitative methods and in market research specifically, we see a further division between syndicated (panel based studies) and ad-hoc studies. So far, ad-hoc studies are used under careful consideration, as market research tends to be expensive and time consuming. Whether it’s in-house or through market research companies, if you’re trying to solve a specific problem you’ll have to prioritise it in the face of urgency, As experts or marketing managers, have we really questioned how we’re using ad-hoc quantitative research to our benefit? Does it really satisfy our needs at each moment, or are we resigning ourselves to a methodology that is not entirely adapted to our requirements? And by that we mean, have we adapted to the research tools and new communication methods we have at our hands? Agile marketing strategies are growing in popularity and advocate for the validation or refutation of working hypotheses to advance and consolidate projects. Agile marketing means each proposal is evaluated by constant query, at each phase of the marketing cycle. This means that we’re asking the key questions that determine the utility and success of the next step in our strategy at each stage of our workflow. But most of our research tools have limited themselves to traditional methods, responding to very specific patterns and structures that aren’t necessarily adaptable to our needs. For example, a pre-publicity test, seeking to answer the question of whether or not a certain campaign will succeed, follows a set structure: from querying the user (input) to analyzing the data and obtaining results, which are usually compared to general sector or industry guidelines (output).But before generating such in-depth studies, which are often time consuming and expensive, we should be preparing the ground for the study to be insightful: setting measures for success, framing the research adequately and using its results to truly help our work. Defining the type of data points we collect, or understanding whether our survey is truly satisfactory and insightful, needs to be itself informed by some type of preliminary analysis of the issue at hand. In developing new or ground-breaking strategies for your brand, it’s possible that you’ll need to check in with your user base at pointed and crucial moments. And that’s exactly where ad hoc research will help you. In order to confidently embark on any project, ad hoc research can respond to concerns you experience throughout the entirety of your work process, supporting and simplifying any decisions you take. Using questionnaires that are 100% ad hoc can help you answer questions that arise throughout the marketing life-cycle, in a flexible, agile and cheap way.Specifically, what does all this mean? Basically, you can use a market research platform to obtain results (nearly) instantly, and so stay in contact with your main stakeholder: the consumer. Any questions you have can be answered quickly and effectively in short bursts of research, giving you a clearer idea of what kind of outcome you should expect. By complementing your work like this you’ll be able to guarantee that:

Your strategy is informed by real data rather than conjecture.

Your consumer responds positively to your new strategy.

You can make confident and secure decisions, without compromising your productivity.

Sometimes a little spontaneity goes a long way in ensuring you’re not making decisions blindly.Obviously, we advocate using our platform to get ad hoc research in your day to day. If you need some guidance getting started, our research team is here to support you. Alternatively, you can just log into Snappy Research and dispatch your questions in just a few minutes.Interested? Click here!